News

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – Ground-breaking actress, singer and activist Ali Stroker, who made history as the first actress in a wheelchair to appear on Broadway and has performed on stage and screen, will headline the 16th annual Modfest at Vassar on Sunday, February 11, 3:00 pm in Vogelstein Center for Drama and Film/Martel Theater.

Ali Stroker made history as the first actress in a wheelchair to appear on Broadway when she originated the role of ‘Anna' in Deaf West's acclaimed 2015 revival of Spring Awakening. She is also the first actress in a wheelchair to graduate from the NYU Tisch drama program. She has starred on both The Glee Project and Glee, and is currently starring alongside Kyra Sedgwick on ABC's new drama 10 Days in the Valley. Stroker’s remarkable ability to improve the lives of others through the arts, whether disabled or not, is captured in her motto: “Making Your Limitations Your Opportunities.”

Following her performance, a moderated talk discussing her work onstage and off, will be led by Leslie Dunn, Professor of English, who has done substantial work in the area of disability studies.

Reservations will be available online beginning January 22, 2018.

An Afternoon with Ali Stroker: Making Limitations Your Opportunities is a free but ticketed event. Reservations are required at https://vassardrama.tix.com.

For more information, please email boxoffice@vassar.edu or call (845) 437-5599.
ABOUT MODFEST

Under the auspices of the Music Department at Vassar College, Adene and Richard Wilson co-founded Modfest in 2003 to explore and celebrate the arts of the 20th and 21st centuries. Adene (Dee) Wilson '69, Modfest’s director for the last fourteen seasons, was responsible for bringing some of the finest composers and musicians to speak and perform in Skinner Hall of Music. Composers-in-residence have included Pulitzer-prize winners Yehudi Wyner, Steve Reich, and David del Tredici. Leading contemporary ensembles have also been featured including the Jack Quartet, Decoda, Attacca Quartet, the Mannes Trio, and many others. A primary strength of Dee Wilson’s conception of Modfest has been its engagement with the arts across the college, involving students and faculty of the Art, Dance, Drama, English, Film, Music, and language departments in creative projects and performances.

Vassar College strives to make its events, performances, and facilities accessible to all. Individuals with disabilities requiring special accommodations must contact the Office of Campus Activities at least 48 hours in advance of an event, Mondays-Fridays, at (845) 437-5370. Without sufficient notice, appropriate space/and or assistance may not be available. For detailed information about accessibility to specific campus facilities, search for “campus accessibility information” on the Vassar homepage (http://www.vassar.edu).

Directions to the Vassar campus, located at 124 Raymond Avenue in Poughkeepsie, NY, are available at www.vassar.edu/directions.

Vassar College is a coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.